Two Republican presidential hopefuls, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, have agreed to a pledge that requires them to support the party’s nominee in 2024 and to participate only in debates sanctioned by the Republican National Committee.
The pledge is part of the RNC’s strategy to avoid division and discord among the candidates and to focus on defeating President Joe Biden.
Ramaswamy was the first to sign the pledge, which is also known as the “Beat Biden pledge”, on Tuesday, according to a report by the Washington Post. He was followed by DeSantis, who tweeted a picture of his signature on Wednesday from his campaign account.
“See you in Milwaukee!” the tweet said, referring to the location of the first presidential primary debate on Aug. 23.
The tweet also revealed some of the contents of the pledge, which read, “I acknowledge and accept that if I fail to sign this pledge or if I participate in any debate that has not been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, I will not be eligible to participate in any further Republican National Committee sanctioned debates,”
{{/usCountry}}The tweet also revealed some of the contents of the pledge, which read, “I acknowledge and accept that if I fail to sign this pledge or if I participate in any debate that has not been sanctioned by the Republican National Committee, I will not be eligible to participate in any further Republican National Committee sanctioned debates,”
{{/usCountry}}“Additionally, I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden,”
“I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party,”
The pledge is signed by both the candidate and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who announced in April that she decided to impose the pledge as a way to prevent any potential challenges or defections from the party’s nominee in 2024.
But, former President Donald Trump, who is leading the polls among GOP voters for 2024, has not committed to signing the pledge or attending the debates. He told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in February that his support for the nominee would depend on who it was.
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“It would have to depend on who the nominee was,” Trump said.
Candidates who want to qualify for the debates have to meet certain criteria for polling and fundraising set by the RNC. They also have to sign the pledge at least 48 hours before the debate. The second debate is scheduled for Sept. 27.